Gas-fired burner and brooder assembly

ABSTRACT

A gas-fired burner includes a lower bowl and a flared inlet conduit communicating with the interior of the bowl. An upper bowl is adapted for stacking assembly with the lower bowl and is provided with a serrated outer edge so that when the upper and lower bowls are assembled the serrated edge of the upper bowl and the inner wall of the lower bowl define a multiplicity of gas burner ports circumferentially spaced about the bowl assembly. This design substantially eliminates flashback and has turndown characteristics between about 1,000 Btu. and 30,000 Btu. The burner assembly can be included in a vertically assembled chicken brooder which includes a spaced heat shield and overlapping canopy which uniformly distribute the heat by reflection downward to the surrounding nesting area.

United States Patent [72] Inventor LeRoy Nicholas Hermann 2,372,9534/1945 Hurlbut etal 239/552X St. Charles, Ill. 2,574,635 1 l/ 1951Franzheim 239/552X [21] 'Appl. No. 804,954 2,615,510 10/1952 James eta1. 239/,552X [22] Filed Mar. 6,1969 2,985,137 5/1961 Horne l26/92BX[45] Patented Feb. 16,1971 Prim,

y Examiner-Charles J. Myhre [73] Asslgnee Hudson ManufacturmgycompanyAttorney-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan & Kucucz Chicago, Ill. acorporation of Minnesota 5 GASJIRED BURNER AND BROODER ASSEMBLJYABSTRACT: A gas-fired burner includes a lower bowl and a7C|aims,6])nwing Figs. flared inlet conduit eommunlcatmg with theInterior of the bowl. An upper bowl 18 adapted for stacking assemblywith the U.S. lowcr bowl and is provided with a serrated ouer g so that1276/92; 239,5.523431/13 when the upper and lower bowls are assembledthe serrated n edge of the upper bowl and the inner wall of the lowerbowl F24C 3/00 define a multiplicity of gas burner portscircumferentially Field oi'Search 126/92, Spaced about the bow] assemblyThis design substantiany 928; 9/32; 239/552; 431/278 eliminatesflashback and has turn-down characteristics [561 CM 5:335:22: 1alifdifinfi viitllfifii ellfiefifiliikf UNITED STATES PATENTS brooder whichincludes a spaced heat shield and overlapping 2,224,842 12/1940 Selby119/32 canopy which uniformly distribute the heat by reflection l 19/32downward to the surrounding nesting area.

2 ,240, s71 5/1941 Ql sonetal..,...

Patnt ed Feb. 15. 1971 3,563,206

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOR NEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FnnnATTORNEYS P atentd Feb. 16, 1971 h 3,563,206

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 1 v v 4; i

BY I A24. 0%, ,4, W M

ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to agas-fired burner chicken brooder assembly. More particularly, theinvention relates to a gasfired burner which substantially eliminatesflashback and is capable of delivering a wide range of heat.

In raising baby chickens it is important that they be supplied with thecorrect amount of heat uniformly distributed throughout the nestingarea. If the brooder provides unequal heat distribution in the nestingarea, the chicks invariably attempt to crowd to the .most comfortablearea causing a likelihood of increase in chick mortality; In aparticular brood of chicks, there are always some chicks which areweaker than others. The weaker chicks are pressed aside by the strongerchicks and frequently unable to reach food or water. Under suchconditions, an increase in chick rnortality is likely.

In addition to supplying uniform heat throughout the nest ing area, itis important that a gas-fired brooder have good turndown characteristicsand be capable of delivering a wide range of heat, depending on theambient temperature of the nesting area. In addition, it important thatthe gas-fired burner have minimum flashback for safety purposes.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION I have now developed a gas-fired burner andchicken brooder assembly which is capable of supplying a wide range ofheat and distributing this heat in a. substantially uniform mannerthroughout the nesting area. In addition, the burner is substantiallyfree from flashback which renders the burner assembly and chickenbrooder exceptionally safe for use in raising chicks and avoidsdisturbing the fowl.

An object of this invention is to provide a gas-fired burner which iscapable of supplying a wide'range of heat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a. gas-fired burner whichis substantially free from flashback.

A further object of this invention is to provide a gas-fired burner andchicken brooder assembly which is capable of supplying a wide range ofheat and distributing the heat in a uniform manner throughout thenesting area.

Other objects and advantages will .become apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded side elevation view, shown partially in section,of the gas-fired burner and chicken brooder assembly;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, shown partially in section, of theassembled gas burner and chicken brooder;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the gas-fired burner assembly;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the gas-fired burner assembly taken alongthe line 4-4 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a closeup top plan view of the triangle-shaped gas burnerportscircumferentially distributed about the stacked assembly of upperand lower burner bowls;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, thegas-fired burner assembly includes a lower bowl and a gas inlet conduitcommunicating with the interior of the lower bowl in which the burnergas and air are mixed. The inlet conduit is flared to provide anincreased cross section at the point of communication with the lowerbowl in order to produce a venturi effect on the incoming gas-airmixture. Also included in the assembly are means for controlling thesupply of gas through the conduit and an upper bowl adapted for stackingassembly with the lower bowl which is provided with a serrated outeredge so that when the upper and lower bowls are assembled the serratededge of the upper bowl and the inner wall of the lower bowl define amultiplicity of gas burner ports circumferentially spaced or distributedabout the bowl assembly. This construction substantially eliminatesflashback and provides the burner with turndown characteristics rangingbetween about 1,000 B.t.u. and about 30,000 B.t.u. A pilot assemblycommunicates with the interior bowl assembly for ignition purposes.

This invention also contemplates a combination of the gasfired burnerassembly with other elements in vertical assembly to form a chickenbrooder. The chicken brooder can be formed by vertically assembling overthe burner a heat shield, and a first spacer separating the upper bowl.from the heat shield. Also included are a heat reflective canopy, asecond spacer separating the heat shield from the canopy, and fasten ingmeans for maintaining the brooder in vertical assembly. When the burneris lit, the brooder assembly will deliver heat 7 in a range betweenabout 1,000 B.t.u. and about 30,000 B.t.u.

which is uniformly distributed by reflection from the heat shield andcanopy to the surrounding nesting area so that a substantially uniformtemperature is maintained.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows thegas-fired burner and other elements making up the chicken brooder isdisassembled form and FIG. 2 shows the burner and chicken brooderassembled. The burner assembly includes lower burner bowl 33 providedwith gas inlet conduit 34 communicating with the interior of the lowerbowl. The inlet conduit is provided with a venturi or increased diameterat the point of communication 17 with lower bowl 33. Burner pan 37 ispositioned beneath lower bowl 33 for collecting dust and is separatedtherefrom by pipe spacer 36. Burner pan 37 is fastened to spacer 36 bywasher 38 and nut 39. Valve assembly 40 controls gas flow into inletconduit 34. Control valve 40 connects to gas fed pipe 41 and thisassembly attaches to hover or canopy 10 by means of linkage 42 (shown inmore detail in FIG. 2). Gas inlet conduit 34 is provided withbell-shaped hood 35.

Upper bowl 30 is adapted for stacking assembly with lower bowl 33 and isprovided with a serrated outer edge 12. When upper bowl 30 and lowerbowl 33 are assembled, serrated edge 12 of upper bowl 30 and inner wall18 of lower bowl 33 define a multiplicity of triangular-shaped gasburner ports 31 circumferentially distributed about the bowl assembly.The gas is ignited just above these burner ports.

Pilot assembly 43 is provided with air inlet openings 44 andgas-connecting pipe 45 (gas source not shown) which communicates withthe interior of the bowl assembly. This assembly will relight the gasflame if it is momentarily extinguished and thus improve the safety ofthe burner.

Heat shield 23 is separated from upper bowl 30 of the burner assembly byhollow spacer 20 which is provided with air inlet openings 21 andconnects at its lower end to bowl 30 and at its upper end to heat shield23 by means of centering washer 22. Canopy 10 is separated from heatshield 23 by hollow spacer 24 provided with air inlet openings 25 and 26which connects at its lower end to heat shield 23 and at its upper endthrough centering washer 27 to canopy 10. Cover 13 is positioned on topof canopy 10 and connects the remainder of the assembly through anglebar 14 to support 19. The brooder is conveniently vertically assembledand strung together by threaded bar 15 which passes downwardly throughthe center of each of the members shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The assemblyis held together by wing nut 16 and nuts 11 and 39 engaging bar 15.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the details of the gas-fired burner assemblyconstruction. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the gas-air mixture enters inthe direction of the arrows through conduit 34 and is then distributed(in the direction of the arrows) equally to each of triangular-shapedburner ports 31. By this arrangement, the burner is capable of burningwith a blue flame and substantially eliminates flashback. The burnerassembly is thus safer and does not disturb the flocks of fowl. Asupplementary source of air is supplied to the burner by way of airinlet openings 21, 25 and 26 and the chimney effect produced by therising air in hollow spacers 20 and 24 (shown in the assembled brooderof FIG. 2).

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the details of construction of the triangular-shapedgas burner ports 31 formed by serrated edge 12 of bowl 30 when placed instacked assembly with inner wall 18 of lower bowl 33.

Most good burners are of cast metal with a raised port to provide abetter airflow around the'expelled gas jet. The raised part must bedrilled. According to my invention drilling is not required to form theburner ports and upper bowl 30 and lower bowl 33 can be easily formed bya simple stamping operation resulting in a lower cost in manufacturingthe burner assembly. Moreover, this burner and brooder assembly arecapable of operating satisfactorily under extremely dusty conditions.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction withpreferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readilyunderstandv lclaim:

l. A vertically assembled, gas-heated chicken brooder which comprises:

a lower burner bowl;

a gas inlet conduit communicating with the interior of the lower bowl inwhich the burner gas and air are mixed, said inlet conduit provided withan increased cross section at the point of communication with the lowerbowl;

means for controlling the supply of gas through the conduit;

a pilot assembly communicating with the interior of the lower bowl;

an upper burner bowl adapted for stacking assembly with the lower bowland provided with a serrated outer edge so that when the upper and lowerbowls are assembled the serrated edge of the upper bowl and the innerwall of the lower bowl define a multiplicity of gas burner portscircumferentially spaced about the bowl assembly;

a heat shield positioned above the stacked bowl assembly;

a first spacer separating the upper bowl from the heat shield;

a heat reflective canopy positioned above the heat shield;

a second spacer separating the heat shield from the canopy;

and

fastening means for maintaining the brooder in vertical assembly,whereby burner flashback is substantially eliminated and the brooderwill deliver heat in a range between about 1,000 B.t.u. and about 30,000B.t.u. which is uniformly distributed by reflection from the heat shieldand canopy to the surrounding nesting area.

2. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 1 wherein the gas burnerports are triangular-shaped.

3. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 2 including a burner panpositioned beneath the lower burner bowl for collecting dust.

4. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 3 wherein the fasteningmeans includes a support bar extending vertically through each member ofthe assembly to maintain said members in vertical assembly.

5. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 4 wherein the first andsecond spacers are hollow and are provided with air inlets to cause achimney effect in the brooder assembly.

6. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 4 wherein the canopy isprovided with a cover.

7. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 6 wherein the supportingbar is threaded and is provided with nuts for maintaining the verticalassembly.

1. A vertically assembled, gas-heated chicken brooder which comprises: alower burner bowl; a gas inlet conduit communicating with the interiorof the lower bowl in which the burner gas and air are mixed, said inletconduit provided with an increased cross section at the point ofcommunication with the lower bowl; means for controlling the supply ofgas through the conduit; a pilot assembly communicating with theinterior of the lower bowl; an upper burner bowl adapted for stackingassembly with the lower bowl and provided with a serrated outer edge sothat when the upper and lower bowls are assembled the serrated edge ofthe upper bowl and the inner wall of the lower bowl define amultiplicity of gas burner ports circumferentially spaced about the bowlassembly; a heat shield positioned above the stacked bowl assembly; afirst spacer separating the upper bowl from the heat shield; a heatreflective canopy positioned above the heat shield; a second spacerseparating the heat shield from the canopy; and fastening means formaintaining the brooder in vertical assembly, whereby burner flashbackis substantially eliminated and the brooder will deliver heat in a rangebetween about 1,000 B.t.u. and about 30,000 B.t.u. which is uniformlydistributed by reflection from the heat shield and canopy to thesurrounding nesting area.
 2. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim1 wherein the gas burnEr ports are triangular-shaped.
 3. A chickenbrooder in accordance with claim 2 including a burner pan positionedbeneath the lower burner bowl for collecting dust.
 4. A chicken brooderin accordance with claim 3 wherein the fastening means includes asupport bar extending vertically through each member of the assembly tomaintain said members in vertical assembly.
 5. A chicken brooder inaccordance with claim 4 wherein the first and second spacers are hollowand are provided with air inlets to cause a chimney effect in thebrooder assembly.
 6. A chicken brooder in accordance with claim 4wherein the canopy is provided with a cover.
 7. A chicken brooder inaccordance with claim 6 wherein the supporting bar is threaded and isprovided with nuts for maintaining the vertical assembly.